The holiday shopping season was less than merry for several retailers, including youth-focused Aeropostale and women's retailer Lane Bryant. Aeropostale (ARO) said total net sales for the nine-week period that ended Dec. 29 slipped 6% to $645 million. Comparable sales -- which includes online -- decreased 8% over that stretch. "Following a strong Black Friday weekend, sales and traffic trends deteriorated significantly in December," CEO Thomas P.